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Politics : Right Wing Extremist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DMaA who wrote (16767)	9/17/2001 11:32:30 AM
From: DMaA	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 59480

No more wiggle room for Muslims: Of being Muslim and Arab-American TAKE A STAND There is no more wiggle room for Muslims By David Martin David Martin is an attorney from Ottawa Published September 17, 2001 To Muslim citizens of the world: Americans appreciate the public condemnations of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., made by many of your political and religious leaders. It is heartening to know that much of the world stands in solidarity against such barbarism. But there is something lacking in these condemnations. In some cases, the spokesperson notes that Islam should not be singled out because there are fanatical terrorists of all religious stripes. In other cases, he or she states that we have to understand that the Americans have somehow brought this on themselves. Such disingenuous posturing must be questioned. For the truth is that the recent catastrophes are not the isolated acts of a few madmen. They are merely the tip of an Islamic fundamentalist iceberg that threatens the entire Western world and its democratic ideals. Muslim citizens of the world can no longer sit back and wash their hands of these atrocities. They can no longer distance themselves from these acts of barbarism. They must not simply mouth equivocal condemnations of such terrorism and then do nothing. Instead, they must begin to dismantle the cultural and religious networks within their own communities that allow such terrorism to flourish. While there may be fanatics of every religious stripe, they pale in comparison to the numbers of Islamic extremists. Islamic fundamentalism is not simply a handful of terrorist cells directed by Osama bin Laden. Islamic fundamentalism is a worldwide movement that threatens the freedoms of people everywhere. Young men so filled with hate that they are willing to sacrifice their lives to kill innocent people simply because they are Americans or Israelis do not appear out of nowhere. They are the products of an extremist culture that has taken over parts of the Arab world and threatens to engulf not only the rest of the Arab world but Muslim countries from Europe to Asia as well. It should come as no surprise to anyone that a Palestinian population where schoolchildren have been taught for 30 years that Americans are evil is a breeding ground for terrorists. Who can blame young men for throwing their lives away when their society crowns them heroes and martyrs for doing so? Yet it is not just the displaced Palestinians who have created a crucible for crimes of terror. It is also evident in the new theocracies of the Arab world. Afghanistan is the most recent of these intolerant states perversely based on the teachings of the Koran. The Taliban regime stands for everything America finds abhorrent. From its religious intolerance to its medieval criminal-justice system to its degradation of women, it is the frightening face of Islamic fundamentalism left unchecked. But Afghanistan is not the only example of Islam gone bad. Iran still is mired in the repressive rule of a religious government more suited to the 11th Century than the 21st Century. It has been said that these nations are the exceptions, that they are not representative of Islam as a whole. That may be true today but it is a fragile truth. The Islamic fundamentalist movement is a potent force throughout the Arab world and it would not take much to turn states like Egypt, Jordan, Syria and even Saudi Arabia into new repressive, theocratic regimes. So what is my message to the majority of peace-loving, tolerant Muslims throughout the world? Don't just condemn terrorist attacks by those perversely claiming to follow your faith. Take action on a daily basis to ensure that Islamic fundamentalism is, if not defeated, at least constantly held at bay. Every major religion is faced with this problem. Those of reason must always be vigilant and fight the extremists within their own faith. Be they fundamentalist Christians who kill abortion providers in the name of God or ultraorthodox Jews who would turn Israel into an intolerant theocratic state or militant Sikhs and Hindus who carry their ongoing war of hate throughout the world, they must be constantly challenged and thwarted by those of reason within each faith. The only difference for Muslims is the extent to which the fundamentalist extremists have succeeded. The recent acts of terror are simply the latest, most visible manifestations of a widespread movement that must be stopped. The best way to halt that movement is for reasonable Muslims everywhere to fight the extremists at every turn. They must publicly and loudly declaim the fundamentalists' perversions of the Koran. They must root out the worst elements of their own community and bring them to justice. They must take the lead in this restoration of sanity. As one Muslim letter writer to a large daily newspaper wrote in speaking of the recent attacks: "This is terrorism, not Islam." Well, if that's true, let the whole world know and cut the cancer from your religion. Either you're with us or against us. There is no vacillating middle. The alternative is an ongoing holy war that no right-thinking people would want. Copyright © 2001, Chicago Tribune chicagotribune.com